The Best Thing I've Never Had
by escapismandwanderlust
Summary: No one ever said the road to happily ever after was easy. Fred/Hermione. Ron/Hermione. HPFC Song & Dance challenge response.
1. Defeated

**Defeated**

**Rating**: K  
**Word Count**: 681  
**Summary**: One day everyone will see the beauty that Fred sees.  
**Authors Note**: "Song and Dance" Prompt by Jillie Bean on the HPFC forum: Chose a favorite album and write a fic around it. One chapter for each song on the album. At least one chapter must include a dance.

**7/18/11 – ATTENTION!** I know it's been two years since I've updated this, I am so, so sorry, and because of that I've decided to go through and rewrite each of these chapters. That way everything will flow together seamlessly rather than sounding like it was written in multiple points of the past 3 years.

* * *

**Album**: "Always Moving Never Stopping" by The City Drive  
**Song**: Defeated

"_They'll say 'you were right'  
And they'll be coming back to see  
Everything that I've seen  
They're gonna get it."_

* * *

The common room was quiet, much quieter than their room that's for sure. What with George's snoring and Lee's talking in his sleep, it was really amazing that Fred could sleep most nights. He wondered as he walked towards the fireplace if he did anything crazy like that in his own sleep. He figured that if George snored he must as well. He made a face as he pictured his twin asleep upstairs; mouth hung open, drool dribbling down his chin and onto his pillow, the loud rumbling in the back of his throat… Fred grimaced.

He made his way to his favorite chair by the fire: a large velveteen red armchair with a cushion you could sink into and never find your way out of again. However, as he was about to sit down he noticed that someone else had claimed his chair as her own.

A familiar bushy haired girl was curled up in the chair with her knees brought up against her chest and her head resting back against the chair. One arm draped casually over the edge of the chair and beneath her fingers, lying on the ground bending at the spine in a way he knew would upset her, was a well worn copy of _Hogwarts: A History._ Ron has mentioned once or twice, or thirteen times, how much Hermione loved that book.

The smile that had formed as he took in the picture of the sleeping girl faltered as he thought of his younger brother. In the years that he had been at school with the Golden Trio one thing had always stuck out to him: Ron never treated Hermione with the respect she deserved. There was no denying that she was a bossy, goody-goody two shoes, know-it-all, but there was also no denying that she was also a strong, beautiful and brilliant young woman.

Fred may not have had the best grades, the best work ethic, the school smarts his mother so demanded of him, but he did know a thing or two about people. He and George may pull ridiculous stunts now and again, but he also knew that what people needed most these days was to laugh, to forget every so often that their future lay somewhere dark and terrifying. He also knew that Hermione was head-over-heels crazy about his daft younger brother. Unfortunately, said daft younger brother was usually blind to what was right in front of him, unless it was a plate of pumpkin pasties.

Fred moved to the chair opposite of Hermione's and watched the firelight dance across her cheeks. She really was quite beautiful; for a scrawny, know-it-all, bossy, insufferable prefect that kept him from properly showing off his and George's masterpieces. She also could do well to tame that mane of hers. Perhaps it was so bushy to hide how big her head, and her brain, really was. She needed plenty of space to hold that never-ending information she was always spouting off that no one actually listened too.

But there was more to her that all of that. There was something inside of her that made Fred stop and stare by the light of the fireplace. For once she was peaceful, she was content, and she was quiet. He chucked softly at this last thought. When she was awake she was a force to be reckoned with. And that fire that laid within her, her passion, her brilliance, her ability to stand up and fight for what she thought was right (even if he thought SPEW was a ridiculous name), that's what made her beautiful. And he pitied his brother for not being able to see it as well.

Stifling a quiet yawn Fred bent down and picked up her beloved book from the floor and placed it on the table a few feet away. He glanced once more at the young witch asleep in his favorite chair and smiled softly.

'One day they'll be coming back to see, everything that I've seen,' He thought. 'One day they will see how much more there is to you.'


	2. Bring Me Everything

**Bring Me Everything**

**Rating**: K  
**Word Count**: 1256  
**Summary**: She wants to run away, and he just wants her, sniffles and all.  
**Authors Note**: "Song and Dance" Prompt by Jillie Bean on the HPFC forum: Chose a favorite album and write a fic around it. One chapter for each song on the album. At least one chapter must include a dance.

**7/18/11 – ATTENTION!** I know it's been two years since I've updated this, I am so, so sorry, and because of that I've decided to go through and rewrite each of these chapters. That way everything will flow together seamlessly rather than sounding like it was written in multiple points of the past 3 years.

* * *

**Album**: "Always Moving Never Stopping" by The City Drive  
**Song**: Bring Me Everything

_"Everybody's gone  
Just you and me  
And I wish I could be  
Far away  
In another scene  
If only…"_

* * *

Hermione made her way quietly out of the Burrow by the backdoor and sat down on a bench a few yards away. Behind her she could hear continued laughter and cheers as practically everyone she knew celebrated the New Year. The entire Weasley clan, along with the majority of the Order, their spouses, their children, friends of friends and more were all filling their glasses and waiting for the countdown that was soon to signal the new start of their lives.

While the War had ended months prior to tonight's celebration there had been so much to do afterwards that celebrations had had to wait. They had still needed to track down remaining Death Eaters, attempt to find those families that had gone into hiding to help them return to their homes, and hardest of all, plan the funerals for all of those that had given their lives in the final battle at Hogwarts. Many of those that had been lost had been friends of Hermione, Ron and Harry. Many of those that had been lost were even more than just friends. Lupin and Tonks, Mad-Eye and so many more had given their lives so that others could live and the funerals seemed endless. Each one harder than the last.

Now, as the clock ticked closer to midnight, wizards and witches across the world were preparing to raise their wands in memory of those that had been lost. Others were cuddling up to their special someone, putting on chapstick, checking that nothing was stuck in their teeth, so that they could start their new year with the first kiss of the rest of their lives.

Hermione stared down at her mittened hands and commanded herself not to cry. Instead she felt a tingle in her throat and began to cough violently into the crook of her arm. Recovering and taking a deep breath she squared her shoulders and stared once more out into the dark night. As she let out her breath she attempted to form rings in the air, as an experienced smoker is wont to do. She contorted her face this way and that, in as many ways possible but try as she may she could not get a ring to form.

"Are you having fun?" A voice asked somewhere behind her.

Hermione jumped up from her spot on the bench, a blush forming on her cheeks as she realized she'd been caught doing something so childish and ridiculous.

"It's ok, I do it too." Fred said as he walked out of the doorway of the house and moved to stand next to her. He too scrunched his face up into an odd expression and tried to blow a ring, but failed just as Hermione had. He offered her a gentle smile and nudged her with his elbow.

Hermione chuckled, returned his smile before trying to form a ring once again. They stood like that for a few minutes, each of them trying to make their breath make desired shapes in the biting night air. Just as Hermione was getting ready to truly give up she watched in wonder as her breath left her lips and formed a perfect circle in front of her. It stayed that way for a few seconds before slowly dissipating. She laughed happily as she turned to tease Fred that she had succeeded and he had not. What she failed to notice was the wand that Fred was covertly hiding back beneath his jacket.

"You were always the best at everything." Fred said with a smirk. He turned and sat down on the bench she had recently vacated and patted the spot next to him. Hermione raised one eyebrow before taking the offered seat. They sat in silence for a few moments, the sounds of the raging party inside the only sounds in the night.

"So…" Fred started nonchalantly "Why are you outside attempting, and succeeding, to blow smoke rings and not inside snuggling up by the fire with Ronnikins?"

Hermione didn't answer. She simply stared into the darkness and willed herself not to start tearing up now. Now would not be the time to cry. Not in front of Fred. Not in front of a notorious Weasley twin. She knew how much they enjoyed schadenfreude, though usually it was only when they were the ones causing problems.

As if sensing this Fred turned towards the young woman and held up his hand, "I swear on the Holy George Weasley, you know… because of his ear… that I will not laugh or make fun of you."

Try as she might Hermione couldn't help but crack a smile as Fred used George's terrible joke about his missing ear. She let her eyes meet his and saw that he was being honest. She sighed and let her shoulders fall forward in defeat.

"He refuses to kiss me at midnight." Hermione said softly, so softly that Fred had to lean in to hear it.

Even though he had sworn not to, Hermione waited for the laugh that would be momentarily escaping from the man next to her. She waited. And waited. And waited. Finally she happened a glance out of the corner of her eye and was taken aback when she saw the serious, even frowning, look on Fred's face.

"You're serious?" He asked, his frown deepening. Hermione shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. She didn't know if it was the intensity of his stare or the frown, a look that should never appear on either of the Weasley twin's freckled faces. "Why would he do that? Isn't it some sort of rule? You know… to kiss someone at midnight on New Years? And it's extra necessary if you are with a significant other?"

Hermione sighed as she turned once more to study the stitching of the mitten's Mrs. Weasley had given her for Christmas. "I have a cold, and he doesn't want to catch it." Hermione responded just above a whisper.

Fred really was surprised he heard her at all as voices from inside could be heard loudly, most of them drunkenly, counting down the last minute of the year.

_"59. 58. 57."_

"I am sorry, Hermione. You've known for a few years, I've known for my whole life, that kid is a dimwit and always will be." Fred cleared his throat before bumping her shoulder with his, "If I was him I would have skipped the countdown and started snogging you ten minutes ago. Now that's a way to ring in the New Year."

Hermione chucked once, even when he tried to be comforting he couldn't resist a joke. "I wish I could be far away," she said softly, barely louder than a whisper, "Somewhere warmer, somewhere I felt wanted. Sneezes, sniffles and all." She felt an arm wrap around her shoulders and unconsciously she dropped her head onto Fred's shoulder.

_"30. 29. 28."_

"It it's any consolation," he started quietly, "I want you here."

"Really?" Hermione asked, looking up at him, her eyes searching his own for the truth behind his words.

_"15. 14. 13."_

"Yes." He said firmly as he placed a hand beneath her chin. "I want you here. Sneezes and sniffles and all."

"_3. 2. 1."_

Fred bent his head down and captured Hermione's lips with his, not caring about her sneezes and sniffles, her boyfriend, his family, their friends celebrating in the warmth of the house, just caring about the young woman in his arms and hoping to start the New Year off with a bang.


	3. West Coast Wind

**West Coast Wind**

**Rating**: K  
**Word Count**: 1304  
**Summary**: A late night talk over tea.  
**Authors Note**: "Song and Dance" Prompt by Jillie Bean on the HPFC forum: Chose a favorite album and write a fic around it. One chapter for each song on the album. At least one chapter must include a dance.

**7/18/11 – ATTENTION!** I know it's been two years since I've updated this, I am so, so sorry, and because of that I've decided to go through and rewrite each of these chapters. That way everything will flow together seamlessly rather than sounding like it was written in multiple points of the past 3 years.

* * *

**Album**: "Always Moving Never Stopping" by The City Drive  
**Song**: West Coast Wind

"_Tomorrow's a new day  
You've beat this before  
And you can once more  
'Cause you're not stranded"_

* * *

Mrs. Weasley had sent them all to their rooms hours ago, ignoring all protests that they were adults, had been done with Hogwarts for a year, or more in some cases, and had fought in a war, but time ticked slowly by as Fred lay awake in bed. Usually it didn't take him long to fall asleep, even his brother's noisy snoring couldn't keep him up these days, yet tonight he had counted the rafters on his ceiling thirteen times and still did not feel ready to close his eyes.

A soft sound caught his attention and he turned his head toward the bedroom door. He could hear soft footfalls moving their way down the hallway. A shadow appeared through the small crack beneath his bedroom door. It stopped for a moment as if hesitating to move on before finally passing and moving down the rest of the hallway. Fred could hear the soft creak of the stairs as someone attempted to quietly walk down to the main floor of the house.

Without thinking Fred draped his legs over the side of his bed and climbed out from under the warm blankets he had been cocooned within. He grabbed his wand from the nightstand, not out of necessity, just a habit he had picked up during the War. He was careful to step over a squeaky floorboard he walked to the bedroom door and opened it a crack, just in time to see the last bit of bushy auburn hair as it dipped below the edge of the staircase.

Fred stepped out into the darkened hallway and closed the door soundlessly behind him. Years of sneaking out of his room with his twin had taught him which wooden planks in the floor to step over and which carpets were most likely to trip an unsuspecting late night wanderer. He made it to the base of the stairs without so much as a _creak_ or a _squeak_ and followed the direction of Hermione's muffled footsteps.

He found her in the kitchen, pacing, muttering under her breath. He watched from the doorway as her hands clenched into fists before relaxing and clenching once more. She huffed out a ragged breath and finally turned and grabbed a teakettle and began to fill it with water from the sink. When it had filled she placed it on the stove and began searching for the knob to turn on the burner. Fred knew this was a fruitless search, the stove wasn't electric, it didn't have knobs.

He walked up behind her and tapped the edge of the stove with his wand. A fire lit beneath the teakettle and caused Hermione jump back a few feet in surprise.

"Fred!" Hermione gasped and held a hand to her heart.

"Sorry, I tried not to scare you… again." He frowned a bit as he remembered how startled she was when he came out of the shadows on New Years Eve a few days prior.

"We've really got to stop meeting this way. I'm going to have a heart attack eventually." Hermione shook her head at him before continuing on with her task. She began rummaging through cupboards in search of a mug. As she lifted one off a tall shelf Fred could see her hand shaking as she held it. He stepped closer to her and took the mug from her tight grasp.

"Hey," he said softly as he took her hand in his and led her to a small table situated in the corner of the kitchen. "Sit down. Calm down. I'll brew. You talk. What's wrong?"

"What do you mean what's wrong? Nothing's wrong? Everything's fine. I can make tea for myself." Hermione spoke in a rushed cadence as she stood and tried to take the mug back from him.

"Liar. Talk to me. What has Ron done now?" Fred pressed. He held the mug out of her reach and gave her a pointed look.

She must have realized the fight was futile because she turned and slumped back into her chair and buried her face in her hands on the table. Lifting her head she pressed the palms of her hands into her eyes for a moment before raking her fingers through her hair.

"It is always him isn't it? He's always doing something idiotic. He's always doing something to upset me. Why?" Hermione looked at Fred as if he had the answers. Her eyes were pleading, begging him to understand. "It's like he's trying, on purpose, to infuriate me."

Fred looked over at her slumped form from his spot near the stove. He really hated to see her this way. Beaten down, defeated, upset, angry. She didn't deserve it and yet he couldn't count the number of times he watched her go through these emotions over the past few years. He poured two cups of tea and handed her one before sitting down across the table from her. He stirred his tea in thought before bringing his eyes back up to meet Hermione's. He knew what he wanted to say, knew what he should say, but the words wouldn't come.

"It's just how Ron is. Everyone shows their affection in different ways. With him…it's bickering. It's how he shows you he cares. He teases you, he picks fights, it's his way of flirting." Fred tried his hardest to keep the disappointment in his brother out of his voice. If he had been with Hermione he would never have treated her like this. He would dote on her the way she deserved. Giving her flowers and candy every day, and it wouldn't even be the trick stuff from the shop.

"I know… it's just… I don't know if it's worth it anymore. I do care about him a lot. I really do. But I don't want to always be feeling like this. I don't always want to be fighting with him. There should be something more to a relationship other than bickering, even if it is a sign of affection." Hermione admitted as she sipped her tea.

For a moment Fred allowed his thoughts to jump for joy at the thought of Hermione breaking up with Ron. He always knew there was something about Hermione that was magnificent, something that no one else saw, but there was that little bit more to her, that little bit that made him start to care about her, fall for her… that had taken him a very long time to understand and accept. And if he was honest with himself he was still working on that understanding bit. All he knew was that he was falling for the bossy know-it-all. Had been for a long time. It scared him. It delighted him. It made him want to hit his head against a wall in agony. She wasn't his. Would never be his. She was Ron's, as much as he hated it. He wanted so much to tell her to give up on him, forget him, move on. Preferably with the dashing genius wizard seated right across from her. Even as he wanted to say all of these things, he knew he couldn't.

"Talk to him about it. Maybe something will change. Maybe he'll change. You've known each other since your first year of school. After this long together he should be able to listen to you." Fred reached across the table and took her hand in his. He looked into her eyes before continuing. "You're the strongest gir-, woman, I know Hermione. You've beaten this before, and you can once more. And if nothing changes, then he doesn't deserve you."

Hermione smiled what felt like her first real smile in days as she looked at the man across from her.

"Since when did you get so smart Fred Weasley?"

"Since I met you."


	4. Nightfalling

**Nightfalling**

**Rating**: K+  
**Word Count**: 1808  
**Summary**: Hermione has big news that Fred doesn't want to hear. Set a few years after _West Coast Wind_.  
**Authors Note**: "Song and Dance" Prompt by JillieBean on the HPFC forum: Chose a favorite album and write a fic around it. One chapter for each song on the album. At least one chapter must include a dance.

**7/18/11 – ATTENTION!** I know it's been two years since I've updated this, I am so, so sorry, and because of that I've decided to go through and rewrite each of these chapters. That way everything will flow together seamlessly rather than sounding like it was written in multiple points of the past 3 years.

* * *

**Album**: "Always Moving Never Stopping" by The City Drive  
**Song**: Nightfalling

"_I've got time on my hands  
Do you too?  
So come around  
I've run out of plans  
Same as you?__"_

* * *

Instead of ringing bells, firecrackers shot overhead as Hermione walked through the front door of the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. She let out a laugh as they spiraled around her and spelled out _Welcome_ before disappearing in a flash of purple smoke.

"Good afternoon, Hermione!" Fred said cheerfully from over the counter in the front of his shop.

"Hey Fred. You would think I would stop being amused by those things after being in here so often. But of course they make me laugh every time." Hermione shook her head as she walked up to him.

With a mischievous grin Fred took a product from behind the counter and placed it in front of her. She watched in wonder as a little toy car, exactly like Mr. Weasley's old flying one zoomed around on the counter before flying up into the air. It whizzed around her head a few times before gracefully making it's way back to the countertop.

"We thought about making a little Whomping Willow to go with this, but we thought it would bring back too many bad memories for dad." Fred smirked. He put the car away and placed his elbows on the counter as he leaned towards Hermione slightly. "So what brings you here today?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to go to lunch. There is a new pub opening down the street and I'd love someone to try it out with me." Hermione stated with a wide smile.

"Of course! I've got time on my hands. George can handle the shop for a bit by himself." He responded before walking to the back of the shop to tell his twin.

While Fred was gone Hermione thought back over the odd relationship that had formed between her and the little-bit-more-evil Weasley twin. Over the years Fred and Hermione had become quite close. He was always there when she needed someone to complain to about Ron, and she was always there to help him and George with a new product they had in the works. Although she didn't always agree with their pranks, she was happy to help them in any way possible. After awhile she even admitted that many of their inventions were "genius". Fred and George made her write that down on a piece of paper and sign it. The document, which read: _"Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, certified products of genius by Hermione Granger_" now hung proudly in the storefront window.

They were an unlikely pair but they had grown to be close friends. Harry didn't have much free time anymore with Auror training, and Ron had moved on from being best friend to significant other. While this meant they spent plenty of time together, it wasn't what you would call "friend" time. Fred had been able to fill the space that Ron had left empty and both he and Hermione couldn't be happier about it. Now today, a very special day, there was no one else she wanted to go out to lunch with than Fred Weasley.

They left the shop and made their way down the street towards the pub. Hermione spent most of the time telling him about her progress with S.P.E.W. and the new laws that were being created for centaur rights. Fred had always been supportive of her ambitions, even going so far as to wear one of her, self admitted, horrendously knitted hats.

As they walked however, the grin on Fred's face began to fall and by the time they reached the pub he was sporting a full on scowl. While most of the tables were already filled with customers on their lunch breaks a few remaining stools were available at the bar. Fred made his way directly to one and sat down. He waved the bartender over and ordered two butterbeers.

"So how did it happen?" Fred asked once they had their drinks. There was something in his voice when he asked, as if he didn't really want to know, but that he was obligated to ask.

"Sorry?" Hermione asked confused, slightly taken aback by Fred's tone.

He gestured to her hand that was now wrapped around the handle of her mug, "The ring."

"Oh! Of course!" Hermione smiled as she glanced down at the diamond that sparkled up at her. "It's not too exciting. We were eating takeout in our flat while watching an old movie. Ron had dozed off about a quarter of the way through, as he always does, honestly I don't know how he falls asleep, he's just like his father, fascinated by the television, but anyway I stayed up to watch it all. When it ended I woke him up to go back to our room and sleep. We were just getting into bed when suddenly he started to freak out. It was actually quite funny."

Hermione stopped to giggle a little at the memory. Fred forced himself to drink some of the cool liquid that had been placed in front of him so that he could hide the grimace that was forming on his face. He suddenly wished he had ordered firewhiskey instead.

"Anyway, he stood up and ran from the room yelling, 'Hermione! I completely forgot!' I, of course, was as confused as could be. He came running back in and thrust a small box into my hands before getting down on one knee. He said, 'I wanted to do this earlier, but I guess I fell asleep. I'm sorry. Will you marry me?' he said it all in one single breath. I swear I could only stare at him in shock until I remembered he had put the box in my hands. I opened it and there it was, an engagement ring."

"And you actually said yes?" He had meant to say '_That's fantastic!' _but apparently that's not what came out when he opened his mouth.

"Well of course I did! Why wouldn't I?" She responded. "I mean, sure it wasn't at all romantic or something from a movie, but this is Ron we're talking about. Since when does he do anything romantic?"

Fred knew he should just keep his mouth shut. Should just order some lunch and worry about his "Congratulations, that's great!" when he was more composed. But when did Fred Weasley ever do what he should?

"Exactly, Hermione! He doesn't_ do_ romantic." Fred said shaking his head, "You deserve something romantic. After everything that he has put you through you deserve something more. You deserve someone who will bring you flowers home for no reason. You deserve someone who will take you out dancing and shower you with affection. Ron is a stupid git who you fight with constantly. How could you say yes to him?"

He realized too late that his voiced had risen through this speech from disbelief to anger. He knew he was walking on shaky ground now. He also knew that there was no going back. He had kept his mouth shut for years. He had had multiple chances to tell Hermione how he felt. Even more chances to tell her about how he felt about her relationship with Ron. Unfortunately he had waited until she was engaged to tell her.

"Who are you to tell me what I do, or don't, deserve?" Hermione asked him, her own anger clear but controlled in a soft voice. "Ron is one of my best friends. Sure we may fight but that's just how it is between us. That's how it has always been between us. Fighting. Bickering. Same thing. You yourself said it was flirting, his way of showing affection."

"Don't you realize that's all you're ever going to get Hermione? That's all he's ever going to be able to give you!" Fred did not try quite as hard as Hermione to keep his voice low and controlled. Who cared if the couple next to them heard? "Flirtatious bickering is all you will ever get. Can he make you laugh? Can he guess what you're thinking before you have even begun to think it? Do you even have passion with him? Do you feel any sort of electricity when you kiss him? Or is it just teenage hormones that you are remembering each time? Or do you not even remember that anymore?"

"Of course I do. I mean, sure we flaunt our passion and affection as some couples do, but it's there." She threw back at him. But as soon as the words left her mouth she knew they were a lie. Hermione hadn't felt the _spark_ with Ron in a very long time. It was there in the beginning, but now… now it was different. It was listless and routine. She couldn't even remember what that _spark_ had felt like in the beginning. And she knew, as she glared at Fred, he knew she was lying too.

"Hermione…" He started softly, slowly, trying to figure out what he wanted to say, and if he wanted to say anything at all, "Do you remember New Years a few years back? You two had just started dating and yet he wouldn't kiss you because of a stupid cold. If it had been me, I would kiss you every chance that I had! I said that I wanted you with me then, and I still do."

Before Hermione knew what was happening Fred had stood and placed his hands on either side of her face. His lips came crashing down on to hers as he ran his hand into her hair and grasped the back of her head. His other hand slid down until it was resting on her hip, pulling her closer to him.

Hermione's reaction was instantaneous. Her hands flew about on their own accord, wrapping around his neck as he pulled her in deeper. She felt his tongue pressing gently at the seam of her lips and she opened against his touch. For what felt like hours they left the restaurant, left the onlookers, left every thought of what they should and should not be doing behind them.

However, they could not leave the need of oxygen behind and after what felt like an eternity, and yet a single second at the same time, they both came up for air, gasping. Fred rested his forehead against Hermione's and brushed a thumb across her cheek.

Hermione looked up at him as a wave of thoughts left her week in the knees. What had she just done? She had just gotten engaged to Ron and the very next day had a very public snog with his brother! She flung herself away from Fred. Her hands came up to cover her mouth in shock. What had she done?

"I- I have to go." She whispered in a stupor. She ran from the restaurant, not looking back, not listening as Fred called her name after her.


	5. Bumblebee

**Bumblebee**

**Rating**: K+  
**Word Count**: 2209  
**Summary**: A final act of desperation.  
**Authors Note: **"Song and Dance" Prompt by Jillie Bean on the HPFC forum: Chose a favorite album and write a fic around it. One chapter for each song on the album. At least one chapter must include a dance.

**7/18/11 – ATTENTION!** I know it's been two years since I've updated this, I am so, so sorry, and because of that I've decided to go through and rewrite each of these chapters. That way everything will flow together seamlessly rather than sounding like it was written in multiple points of the past 3 years.

* * *

**Album**: "Always Moving Never Stopping" by The City Drive  
**Song**: Bumblebee

"_Won't you go to sleep now  
You're buzzing like a bumblebee  
I know it's been a bad day  
You don't have to shout at me"_

* * *

He had tried to hide. He had tried to blend in. He had tried to pull pranks and laugh with everyone else. He had tried everything, and so far he had done a fabulous job of fooling everyone. To those around him he was acting like his usual self. But inside he was simply a mass of confusion and pain.

He couldn't stand back and watch anymore. He couldn't watch the flowers being put in their places, he couldn't watch the chairs as they were unfolded and set up in the Burrow's backyard. Everything reminded him of Hermione. She picked out the flowers, she picked out where to have the wedding, she picked out the cake, the decorations, and even who would preside over the ceremony. He was certain of all of this. He was certain that Ron never put a single thought into the wedding. He didn't mean to be so cruel to his brother; he knew Ron cared for Hermione. He also knew Ron would never care as much for her as he himself did.

Just thinking of his younger brother and Hermione getting married made him retch in anger. When he could find a moment he detached himself from George's side and walked into the house and up to Ginny's bedroom. He could hear laughter coming from the other side of the door as Hermione, Ginny, and Luna readied themselves for the ceremony. He held up a tentative fist and knocked softly, halfway hoping that no one would hear him over the laughter. That would have saved him a lot of trouble.

The door opened a crack and he could see the eye of his sister peering out at him. She looked him up and down before trying to see behind him.

"Ron's not with you is he?" Ginny asked

"No. It's just me." He replied, successfully keeping the edge he was feeling out of his voice.

The door opened wider and she allowed him to step inside before she quickly shut it behind him.

"He's been trying to sneak in here all day to see her." Ginny said, pointing in the direction of Hermione.

Fred's breath caught in his throat as he stared at the vision in front of him. Her white gown flowed around her in soft silk and satin. Her hair was up in curls with just a few strands falling around her face. A headband of sparkling stones sat atop her head glimmering in the sunlight that fell in from the window. No material object however could ever compare to the shine in her eyes as he watched their reflection in the mirror she was seated in front of. They glistened with happiness as she looked at herself in the mirror touching up her make-up and adjusting the necklace that was draped across her throat.

Unfortunately, he noted, her eyes did not stay happy for long after she noticed him enter the room. Hermione saw his timid reflection in the mirror. Her smile fell and her eyes darkened. She turned slowly to face him before opening and closing her mouth as if trying to find something, anything, to say.

Ginny noticed Hermione's mood change and instantly ushered Luna out of the room before quickly following the other bridesmaid. She didn't know everything that had happened between Hermione and her bother, but she had always known there was something everyone else had missed.

Fred listened to the door close behind the two women, never once taking his eyes off of Hermione. He had been all set to come up here and tell her to blow Ron off and run away with him but at the sight of her he had lost all ability to speak.

"What do you want?" Hermione asked quietly before looking down. She began to smooth out invisible wrinkles on her dress.

"I- I. You look… beautiful." Fred stuttered out. Beautiful didn't even begin to cover what she looked like. Toss a veela into the room and he would have said she looked like a garden gnome compared to Hermione.

"Thank you but that doesn't answer my question. What do you want?"

Fred gulped as her eyes moved up to fix upon his own. He cowered under her intense stare. How was he supposed to confess his feelings for her when she looked at him that way?

"Youcan'tmarryhim." Fred managed to get out in a single rush of words before he lost his nerve.

The color drained from Hermione's face as she deciphered the verbal mess she had just heard. She had had a suspicion of what he had come here for, but she was still taken aback by the confrontation.

"Why can't I? I'm engaged to him aren't I? Have been for a couple months now. Have been dating him for 3 years. I love him. I see no reason why I shouldn't marry him."

Hermione turned her back on Fred, back towards the mirror. She saw his dejected reflection in the reflection and she closed her eyes, praying she wouldn't start crying. She felt him come up behind her and she looked up at the image reflected back at her.

"I have a reason for you. How about that I love you? I have for years." Fred said as he knelt on the floor beside her chair. He took her hand between both of his and looked up at her, silently begging her to look back at him. "I know I haven't always shown it, but I do Hermione. I love you."

Hermione finally turned her head and took in the sight in front of her. This mad, brilliant, beautiful, crazy red headed man down on both knees proclaiming his love for a woman that wasn't his. He watched Hermione's eyes change from emotion to emotion in milliseconds. She looked happy, and then she looked like she might cry, and finally he knew that if looks could kill, he would be long dead. She stood up suddenly, causing him to fall back on his hands and stare up at her towering form.

"Why do you tell me this now! Why on the day of my wedding! Why didn't you tell me years ago when you had the chance?" She paced around the room, her white train trailing behind her. "You are lucky I don't have my wand, Fred Weasley, you would have been hexed to yesterday and back."

"I tried to tell you! I told you I wanted you with me! I even kissed you that day in the pub!" Fred yelled back. How dare she attack him! He was sure he had made it clear how he felt about her.

"But you didn't do anything after that did you?" She turned on him and poked him in the chest with an accusing finger. "I needed time to think. But after that day you didn't do a single thing to try and contact me! Why didn't you do anything? Why didn't you say anything?" She was practically pleading with him now, her voice caught somewhere between anger and a complete and total breakdown.

"I thought you wanted to be left alone. You were horror stricken when I kissed you. You completely freaked out!" He waved his hands in the air to emphasize his last point. "I didn't want to pursue anything since you so obviously didn't want to be pursued."

"So you wait until the day of my wedding to tell me that you are in love with me! You've kept it quiet this long, so why not keep it quiet a little longer? Or did you not want to disrupt our honeymoon with your oh-so-important news." Hermione shot daggers at him as she yelled.

"Hermione, calm down. You're buzzing like a bumblebee. Please. Let me explain." Fred attempted to grasp her hands in his but she flung hers in the air and took a few steps back from him. He took a deep breath before continuing on. "I know that it was completely idiotic for me to come up here and tell you like this. But I can't just sit back and watch you make the worst mistake of your life."

Hermione's face was unreadable as she took in what he had just said, what he had been longing to say for so long. She finally turned and sat down on the edge of Ginny's bed and continued to look anywhere but him. Taking her no longer flailing arms as a good sign Fred walked over cautiously and sat down next to her.

When she finally did turn to look at him his heart sank into the pit of his stomach. Hermione was no longer glaring; instead she wore a look of complete and utter melancholy. It was a look that Fred never wanted her to have again, especially not when caused by him. All he wanted was for her to be happy.

"Even if you don't love me, there has to be someone out there that is more deserving of you than Ron. You're a beautiful, intelligent, funny-as-Merlin's pants witch that deserves to be treated like one." He placed his hand on top of hers and caressed it with his thumb. "I've seen you with him and I know you can be happier. Honestly, the happiest I've ever seen you is when you are sitting with me at the shop testing out our new products. You know you think they're genius."

Hermione chuckled softly as she looked down at his hand covering hers. He knew that this was hard on her but he had to be honest with her. He had stayed quiet for years, and he couldn't keep his mouth shut anymore.

"All I want is for you to be happy… even if it's not with me. But I think you could be much happier without Ron."

He watched intently as Hermione took her hand out of his and stood up. She walked to the window and looked out across the backyard. She watched as the last of the decorations were hung and the guests began to take their seats. She watched as Ron paced in front of the stage before Harry finally tripped him and sent him stumbling to his knees. She could already see Mrs. Weasley and her mother in their seats dabbing at the corners of their eyes with tissues.

Fred simply sat and waited. He could tell that she wanted to run her fingers through her hair in frustration. Every so often one hand would make it as far as her chin before it dropped to her side once more. He studied her face; he tried to decipher what it was she was thinking. But all he could see were the tracks left on her cheeks by drying tears.

She was thinking about how many hearts she might break with the decision she was about to make. She turned back to him and slowly lifted her eyes to meet his once more.

"I'm sorry, Fred. I really and truly am. But I can't. In less than an hour I will be Mrs. Ronald Weasley."

Fred stood up and walked quickly over to where she stood. He opened his mouth to argue but before he could get a word out she placed a finger over his lips. She looked up at him and for the first time Fred saw what he had been hoping for, for so long. Love. She did love him. But it was too late.

"I can't disappoint him Fred. I can't disappoint my family and I can't disappoint your family. Your mother has been planning this day since our first year at Hogwarts. With Harry and Ginny already married this is just how it's supposed to be. We've all dreamed of being One-Big-Happy-Weasley-Family. But in everyone's dreams it was always Ron and I together. Not you and me."

Hermione leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. Fred felt the warmth of her touch and wished it to stay a little longer but as he looked at the woman in front of him he knew she had made her choice. There was nothing he could do to stop her now.

"If only we had known earlier, maybe things would have ended a different way. But this is how it has to be. I'm sorry."

Hermione lifted a hand to her cheek and wiped away her tears. Fred took her chin in his hands and lifted her eyes back to his. He saw the same determination in them that he did when they were trying to solve a difficult problem with one of his products. He knew that she had stopped caring about her own happiness long ago. She was living up to everyone else's expectations. By making everyone else happy, that would make her happy. His shoulders slumped as he leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead.

"Let's go get you hitched." He said softly and then walked her back to the mirror to grab her a tissue. He waited for a few moments while she fixed her make-up. When she stood up he held out his arm to her and she wrapped her own through it. She gave him a shadow of a smile before they walked out of the room and down to the ceremony.


	6. Overready

**Overready**

**Rating**: K+  
**Word Count**: 1740  
**Summary**: Everyone deserves a moment of happiness, even Hermione.  
**Authors Note**: "Song and Dance" prompt by Jillie Bean on the HPFC forum: Choose a favorite album and write a fic around it. One chapter for each song on the album. At least one chapter must include a dance.

**7/18/11 – ATTENTION!** I know it's been two years since I've updated this, I am so, so sorry, and because of that I've decided to go through and rewrite each of these chapters. That way everything will flow together seamlessly rather than sounding like it was written in multiple points of the past 3 years.

* * *

**Album**: "Always Moving Never Stopping" by The City Drive  
**Song**: Overready

"_This could be it  
It could be now  
Now is the time to move on  
Don't you know  
Won't let you down  
So come along  
I have waited so long  
Time's been wasted too long"_

* * *

The band played and the bride and groom shared their first dance as husband and wife. The wedding had gone off, surprisingly, without a hitch. Now the happy couple were wrapped in their own little world as the music drowned out everything else around them. They looked beautiful together. His red hair a sharp contrast against her dark brown. His pale fingers entwined with her caramel ones.

Hermione took a long drink from her glass of champagne as she watched Fred and Angelina dance around the ballroom floor.

The couple had begun dating a month after her marriage to Ron. They had always remained friends after their Hogwarts years but they hadn't met up again until the reception of the Weasley-Granger wedding. Hermione chuckled bitterly as she thought about it. It was her wedding that brought them together. Her wedding day, when she rejected Fred and pushed him away. Her wedding, where she realized she had thrown away her only chance at true happiness.

She had thought for a time that she would be fine. Even standing up at the altar she had thought to herself _'Now is the time to move on'_. How could she have been so stupid? She considered her wedding a way to move on from Fred? She shouldn't have thought twice about the man, and yet he was constantly in her thoughts.

Hermione turned to Ron to ask if he wanted to dance but he was in a deep conversation with Harry about the latest Quidditch match that they had gone to see. Ginny caught her eye and they both shook their heads. Both women had grown accustomed to their husbands' ways. Ways that usually involved ignoring them.

Hermione knew that Ginny hid it well, but not everything was storybook perfection in the Potter household. The deep depressions that Harry had felt during his days at school never seemed to disappear completely. Not even after the defeat of the Dark Lord. Things didn't help after he started work as an Auror either. He saw dark witches and wizards all around the world and it had made him realize that even after Voldemort's defeat there would always be someone looking to come to power.

Hermione stood up and walked over to Ginny. She took her hand and pulled her up from her seat. She half walked with, half dragged, her friend over to the bar and asked for refills on their drinks.

"I need to get sloshed." Hermione whispered as she drank half of her champagne in one gulp. "Weddings are supposed to be happy… so why am I so miserable?"

"Probably because you are watching the man you love, dance his first dance with his new wife." Ginny told her matter-of-factly.

"Ginny! Quiet." Hermione looked horror stricken as she looked around to see if anyone was in earshot.

"Hermione, listen to me," Ginny said firmly, but quieter than she had been before, "You are miserable because you made yourself this way. You married Ron when you didn't have to. You knew you weren't in love with him." She held up a hand to stop the interruption she knew was coming. "Yes… I know you love him… but are you _in_ love with him? No. You aren't. You never were. You are _in_ love with Fred. You only married Ron because it was what was expected of you."

Hermione silently fumed for a few moments as she downed the rest of her champagne. She called the bartender over for another refill as she tried in earnest to think of something to say. Unfortunately the only thing she could think of was to deflect the problem away from herself.

"You are such a hypocrite Ginny. What about you and Harry? You are miserable together. I know what's going on with you and Michael. Each time Harry is out of the country it's the same thing. When are you ever going to tell him it's over?"

"I probably won't. Just as you probably won't ever tell Ron that it's over. It's just how things are. There are too many people to keep happy. Too many expectations to meet." Ginny admitted as they sat down at the bar, each ordering yet another drink, even before their first was finished.

"How did we ever end up like this Ginny? Do you remember the fairytales we used to make up when we were younger? We joked about being happy as one big family. We thought it was going to be something from one of Grimm's tales of love and romance. Something like Cinderella or Snow White. But here we are. Funny fairytale we ended up getting." Hermione frowned and looked down at the ring on her finger. She couldn't tell if it was her imagination or if it just needed cleaning, but the ring didn't seem to hold the same sparkle that it once had.

"Just because we didn't end up getting a fairytale doesn't mean we didn't get an interesting story of our own. We are more along the lines of Juliet or Ophelia. As long as we don't commit suicide in the end, of course. We're romantic tragedies. We just have to take what we can get. And if that means a few moments of happiness with Michael while Harry is out of the country, I'll take it. I suppose I should really be angry with you because of your emotional betrayal to my brother, but then that really would make me a hypocrite."

"And a few years ago I would have punched you for what you are doing to Harry. But I never really saw how much he was hurting everyone around him, including his closest friends, until recently. You deserve a few moments of happiness. Everyone does." Hermione admitted as she turned to her best friend and gave her a small smile.

"You included." Ginny said as she got up off her bar stool and walked back towards the table where their husbands sat.

"Ginny-" Hermione started as she turned around and came face to face with a pair of unexpected blue eyes.

"Hermione. I'm glad you could make it." Fred said as he took Ginny's empty stool.

"Of-of course. I wouldn't miss it." Hermione stuttered out, trying her best to act calm and collected. "Where's Angelina?"

"She went to talk to Alicia and Katie for a little while. Apparently her feet hurt too much to dance anymore." Hermione noticed that he looked disappointed. Whether it was in the fact that his bride was in pain or not she couldn't tell.

A few moments of silence passed between them as they both sipped their drinks. Occasionally a family member or friend would come up and congratulate Fred. He would give the required nod and thank you before turning back to stare into his drink.

"I've missed you." He finally said faintly, breaking the silence. "You haven't come around the shop in a very long time."

"I've been busy."

"No you haven't."

"I've been working more."

"Skipping lunch isn't healthy."

"Fred-" Hermione started to say but was cut off as Fred stood up and began to walk away.

She sat there dumbstruck until Fred turned around and motioned her to follow him. They walked out into the quiet hallway of the reception hall. Away from curious stares, happy family members, and congratulations.

"I've tried Hermione." He started simply "I've really tried. I've tried to take us back to where we were. Where you wanted to be. You wanted to be friends. I wanted that too. But I can't be friends with you if you wont even give us the chance to make that work."

"I know." Hermione whispered, looking down at her drink just as Fred had. As if it held all of the answers. "I've missed you too. I missed you more than you could ever imagine. But I just didn't think it was right. Right after I got married you got back together with Angelina. I didn't want it to be…"

"Awkward." Fred finished.

"Yes. Awkward."

"Hermione, it's going to be awkward no matter what. I confessed my love for you, told you not to marry my brother. You rejected me. It's always going to be awkward. But we can't go back to how we were unless you give it a chance." He took her hand in his. "Please. Give me a chance."

Hermione looked up at him before smiling. In the pit of her stomach she knew it was a bad idea. Long ago she had admitted her feelings to Ginny about being in love with him. But that was _long ago._ After a few moments thought she decided it was safe now. _She_ was safe now. It was too late to act on her own feelings, and obviously Fred had moved on and forgotten his feelings for her.

"Ok. When you get back from Paris, from your honeymoon, we'll do lunch, just like old times." Hermione squeezed his hand before moving to drop it, however he held on to her fingers tighter and pulled her closer to him.

"That sounds good. But now… I have waited so long to ask you. Will you dance with me?" His grin lit up his entire face as he pulled towards the reception hall once more. She couldn't object, not when he was looking at her like that.

"Of course."

They dropped their drinks at the bar before walking hand in hand to the dance floor. He wrapped his fingers around hers and pulled her close as they danced to a slow melody. She hoped that no one noticed the smile that seemed to be permanently etched on her face.

As they gently swayed around the room she saw Angelina talking excitedly with Katie and Alicia at the long table down the side of the reception hall. They were too wrapped up in their conversation to notice the groom dancing with someone else. She saw Ron and Harry in deep discussion at their table, probably about Quidditch still, probably never even noticed that she had left at all. Next to Harry she saw Ginny. Her best friend. Her confidant. Someone that she should probably hate right now, but couldn't help but love all the more for their shared problems. Ginny raised her glass slightly in Hermione's direction and gave her a small smile before taking a drink.

_'Here's to me.'_ Hermione thought to herself as Fred spun her away from him before bringing her back to his awaiting arms. _'Perhaps Ginny was right. Perhaps I am deserving of a few moments of happiness.'_


	7. Give Up Love

**Give Up Love**

**Rating**: K  
**Word Count**: 912  
**Summary:** It's just two friends meeting for lunch. How much harm could there be in that?**  
Authors Note**: "Song and Dance" prompt by Jillie Bean on the HPFC forum: Choose a favorite album and write a fic around it. One chapter for each song on the album. At least one chapter must include a dance.

**7/18/11 – ATTENTION!** I know it's been two years since I've updated this, I am so, so sorry, and because of that I've decided to go through and rewrite each of these chapters. That way everything will flow together seamlessly rather than sounding like it was written in multiple points of the past 3 years.

* * *

**Album**: "Always Moving Never Stopping" by The City Drive  
**Song**: Give Up Love

"_Marigold,  
It doesn't matter what you're told  
You wanna get swept away  
Violins playing  
Come on kid, now  
Don't you know  
It never, ever comes to those  
Who want a romantic scene  
From a movie"_

* * *

Their first lunch together was, as they predicted, awkward. Most of it was spent in silence, not knowing what to say and not knowing where to start. But they left with a plan to meet up the next week, same time, same place, in hopes that it would get better.

The next time they met for lunch the shakes were still there, but the atmosphere was calmer. They talked about the joke shop, and Hermione's job at the Ministry. Nothing too exciting. But nothing that made them want to leave the conversation. They made a plan to meet the next week, same time, same place.

Each time they met it was easier to talk and laugh together just like they used to, years before. By the end of two months they had moved on from meeting once a week to nearly every other day. Sometimes they met at Fred's store. Sometimes he picked her up at the Ministry. They couldn't get enough of each other. They talked about anything that came to mind, no matter how crazy or random the topic. Their laughter filled the restaurants that they haunted, causing others around them to look over in wonder. Yet at each of their dates, through all the laughing and the fun, there was just one unspoken rule: never talk about Ron or Angelina.

Hermione didn't know whether that unspoken rule was helpful or hurtful to the relationship she was once more starting with Fred. By not bringing them up they were able to pretend that they were just two friends having lunch, but by not bringing them up, they were able to semi-pretend they were just two unmarried friends having lunch. She couldn't deny how happy she was when she was with him, but she also couldn't deny the pang of guilt that ran through her each time they met. She tried to tell herself that these were not dates. They were two friends meeting for a brief meal and a chat. That was it. After all, skipping lunch wasn't healthy.

Fred looked forward to each lunch in excited anticipation. It had taken them a long time to grow comfortable around each other again, but after they had he couldn't wait for each lunch date. After his wedding to Angelina he had believed he was truly over Hermione, but as each day passed he knew how wrong he had been. He was more in love with her than ever. He knew it was betrayal to both his brother and his wife, but when he was with Hermione he didn't care. He would never act upon his feelings, of that he knew, but he knew he couldn't ignore them either. And it wasn't as if they were actually cheating on their spouses. They were friends. Friends with a history, a present, and no future. He was happy to be her friend again, and he would take all he could get.

It wasn't until they were meeting for lunch nearly four months after the wedding that Fred decided that being together so often might actually be a bad idea. They had decided to go to a small little deli down the road from the Ministry and as they walked down the cobblestone street they passed a flower vender. Before he even realized that he had done it he had grabbed Hermione's hand and asked her to stop. He took out a coin and paid the vender before turning and giving Hermione a beautiful yellow marigold.

The look on her face was one of delighted but bewildered happiness as she stared at the colorful flower in her hands. She looked at it as if it was a precious gift, one that she would treasure forever. Although a grin was plastered on Fred's face he felt a slight tug of pain against his heart. She looked like she had never received something as simple as a flower before.

They once again began to walk back down the street to the deli in contented silence, and were almost there before Fred finally had the courage to bring up a topic that had long been tabooed by each of them.

"Hermione, does Ron ever get you flowers?" Her head snapped up as she studied him carefully. Then lowering her eyes back to the flower she shook her head.

"No. Well, he did once. But it was after a fight. He's never gone out and gotten me any just because he could. I've gotten used to it though." Hermione admitted, "Ginny and I talk about this all the time. How we used to believe in fairytales and happily ever afters. But really it's a lie. You barely find anyone these days that live up to the storybook tales of love and romance."

"That's what you want though right? You want to get swept away, violins playing and everything?"

"Yes. I mean… I don't want it all the time of course. Maybe just once. I'd like to live a fairytale for a night, just one."

Fred's thoughts for the rest of the afternoon continued to go back to this exchange. Back at his shop he sat in the back room and rubbed at his face in frustration. Frustration with Ron for not being what Hermione deserved. Frustration with Hermione for rejecting him so long ago. Frustration with himself for wanting to give her everything she had spoken of this afternoon, but knowing he was not able, and certainly not allowed.


	8. Light Years

**Light Years**

**Rating**: K  
**Word Count**: 2175  
**Summary:** If they can never be friends, what else is there for them to be?  
**Authors Note**: "Song and Dance" prompt by Jillie Bean on the HPFC forum: Choose a favorite album and write a fic around it. One chapter for each song on the album. At least one chapter must include a dance.

**7/18/11 – ATTENTION!** I know it's been two years since I've updated this, I am so, so sorry, and because of that I've decided to go through and rewrite each of these chapters. That way everything will flow together seamlessly rather than sounding like it was written in multiple points of the past 3 years.

* * *

**Album**: "Always Moving Never Stopping" by The City Drive  
**Song**: Light Years

"_So we joke around again  
Could we ever really be friends?  
I'll always say I want you and  
Secretly mean it  
We could talk about it  
But I doubt it  
Would make any difference now  
It would take forever  
For us to stay together"_

* * *

He argued with her that he wasn't cheating.  
_So why was he always out having lunch with Hermione instead of calling his own wife up to go eat?_  
Because she was too busy working for The Daily Prophet to even remember to come home for dinner some nights.  
_She would open up time in her schedule for him if he asked her to._  
You shouldn't have to assign time in your planner for the people you love.  
_Then cold, unwavering stares._

"Angie, please listen to me…"

"No. I am done listening to you. All you tell me are lies. You love me. You want to be with me. I'm done." Her voice was filled with the sound of tears she held back. "I can't be with you. Not when you so obviously want to be with her."

He argued with himself that he didn't want to be with her. They had both grown past that. Past feelings of the years gone by. They were friends. Friends, and that was all.

Angelina thought differently. Thought their friendship was romantic.

He had never been with her romantically. Sure they went to lunch day after day. Sure they saw a concert in the park the past weekend when Angelina was at work and Ron was away at a Quidditch game. Sure he spent every waking moment thinking of her and every night dreaming of her. But he always told himself that not matter what he did it wasn't cheating.

Cheating was physical. Cheating was romantic dinners leading to romantic nights. Cheating wasn't laughing over spilled potato soup at lunch. Cheating wasn't spending hours together at the shop working on new products.

But maybe he was wrong. Maybe it really was all those things. The shared looks of understanding. The same glance over their shoulder as they walked their different ways after lunch. The same "rightness" they felt when they did walk down the street together. It didn't have to be physical. It was emotional. Hermione filled a gap in him that Angelina had not been able to. Hermione could laugh and talk with him for hours. They opened their souls to one another. Sharing secrets that no one else knew.

But Angelina knew the biggest secret of all: He was still in love with Hermione and he would always be in love with her.

So he left. With a call to George, a suitcase packed full enough for a week away, and a sad smile goodbye, he walked out the front door and left. He hazard one look over his shoulder but knew it was of no use. He may never have laid a finger on Hermione besides a hug hello and goodbye, but that didn't mean he hadn't been cheating all along. He knew that. Angelina knew that. There was no going back.

As he walked down the front steps his eyes went wide at the sight in front of him. There she was, standing next to a nearby tree with her hands in her jacket pockets and looking down at her feet. Her shoulders were slouched and she looked nervous as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. She glanced up at him before once more pretending that the dirt beneath her shoes was something to be studied.

What was she doing there? They never met at the places they lived. Their friendship, relationship, whatever it was, was separate from their home life. Fred hung his head and slowly walked towards the woman, praying that Angelina wasn't watching out the front window.

"Why hello." He welcomed, trying to act cheerful.

"Hi." Hermione answered softly. She lifted her eyes to his and he saw the red rims that came only from crying.

"Hermione, what..." He started worriedly before a look of understanding crossed his face. He nodded his head towards the flat before continuing. "You heard, didn't you?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if the whole block heard." She shrugged her shoulders slightly before looking up in his general direction, but averting her eyes from his. "Fred, I'm so sorry. I feel horrible."

"Please, don't." he responded, now also looking down at the oh-so-interesting dirt beneath her shoes. "Hermione, I think we need to talk."

A few minutes later they arrived in the living room of Ron and Hermione's flat. Hermione told him to make himself comfortable while she went and made some tea. While she went to the kitchen Fred walked around the living room studying every nook and cranny. He studied the pictures on the walls. Pictures of the couple's wedding, pictures of family get-togethers at the Burrow, pictures from their childhood. He studied the bookshelves, packed to overflowing with paperbacks and leather-bound first editions, books of all shapes and sizes, books by both muggle and wizard writers. He studied a newspaper filled corkboard that hung near the desk in a corner. Newspaper articles about Ron's quidditch team were scattered across the board.

Finally he sat down and traced the grain patterns of the coffee table in front of him with a nervous finger. He felt like he shouldn't be here. He was in another man's territory, with another man's wife. Even if they were "just friends" he couldn't hold back the feelings that Angelina had made him realize were true. He knew spending so much time with Hermione was not a good idea. He knew that it would only get them into trouble.

He had to tell her. He knew it had blown up in his face the last time that he told her. But he couldn't keep it to himself, especially when it was obvious to everyone else around him. George had even voiced his suspicions that Fred just waved a hand at amusedly. He had to know if she still felt the same way. He knew they could never stay friends if either of them wanted something more. He knew he did. He felt the small fire of hope burn in the pit of his stomach as he thought of her standing outside of his flat. Why had she come?

"Here. Chamomile. It's calming." Hermione's voice broke into his thoughts as a warm mug of tea was put into his hands as she sat on the couch beside him.

"Thank you." He said softly before taking a sip. The liquid ran down his throat like fire. He welcomed the numbing feeling that followed.

They sat there in tense silence for many minutes. Both staring into their mugs, afraid to speak the words they both needed to say and hear. It was the longest they had sat in silence since their first few lunches together. It was the most tension they had felt in months. The power of it made Fred dizzy. The silence was deafening, making him blink and shake his head. It was now or never.

"Hermione, do you know why she threw me out." He asked, barely above a whisper.

"I heard everything Fred. She thought you were cheating on her," she answered "with me."

"I told her it wasn't true. I told her I wasn't cheating."

"Because you aren't cheating on her. I'm sorry she didn't believe you."

"Hermione, she made me realize something. Made me realize something that I should have figured out a long time ago." He finally dared to look up at the woman sitting beside him on the couch. "She was right. I am cheating on her."

"Fred…" Her voice was soft and scared, as she looked into his eyes, her own on the brink of tears.

"Please Hermione. I know that I shouldn't be saying this. But I have to say it anyway. I thought that we could just be friends. I honestly did. I wanted us to be friends. You are one of the most important people in my life. But over the past few weeks I've realized, I can't be your friend." He wanted so much to reach out and wipe the tears away that were falling freely down her cheeks now. "As cheesy as it may be, you are my other half Hermione. You fill a part of me that Angelina couldn't touch."

He placed his hand on top of hers and ran his finger over her knuckles in what he hoped was an act of comfort.

"I'm sorry," he continued, even more softly that before, "But I can't be your friend anymore. I love you too much. I've tried not to love you. Merlin only knows how hard I've tried. But every time I hear you laugh, every time I see you smile, every time your name reaches my ears I know that not a single day has passed when I haven't loved you."

Hermione closed her eyes as she let his words sink in. He still loved her. After everything she had done, thrown him aside and married his brother. After he had professed his love for another woman and married her. He still loved her. It was everything Hermione wanted to hear, but the last thing she needed to know. It threw everything into confusion. Her heart and her mind battled with no victor.

"Do you think... Do you think we could ever really be friends?" She whispered.

"Just friends?"

She nodded.

"No."

Hermione finally dared to look up at him. Fred's heart broke at the look in her eyes. Complete devastation. He had sworn to himself on her wedding day that he would never let that look cross her face again. He had failed. He had failed in everything. All because of the know-it-all woman who never refused to fail at anything in her life. He wanted to fix everything for her. Make every pain she felt completely disappear. If only there was magic for that sort of thing. Fixing a pair of glasses, that was one thing, but _reparo_ could only do so much, and fixing a marriage, a life, a couple of star-crossed lovers was too much.

"I think you better leave." Hermione's voice cracked as she stood up and walked back towards the kitchen.

"What?" Fred asked, not quite sure he heard her correctly.

"You heard me Fred." Hermione said from the kitchen. He watched her place her hands on the counter and put her weight onto them. Her head dropped down onto her chest and her body began to shake. "Please, leave. We are not friends anymore. So leave."

Fred slowly began making his way into the kitchen. He stopped a short distance behind her, not reaching her walls of personal space she had put up between them.

"Why did you come to my flat today?" he asked, breaking the silence.

She slowly turned around and looked at him questioningly. She made no move to answer.

"Hermione, why did you come to my flat today? We've never met at our places before. We always meet at the shop, or at your work, or at the restaurant. Why were you there today?"

Hermione looked away from him and looked down at her feet. He could see her eyes moving, as if searching the hardwood floor for the answer.

"I… I don't know." She finally said. Her face held a look of confusion, as if she truly didn't know how she ended up at his front door. "I was at work. I was thinking about you. I needed to see you. The next thing I knew I had apparated to your flat. I stood at the door for near 10 minutes. I couldn't bring myself to knock, but just being there comforted me. Until I heard the yelling."

"You were thinking about me?" He asked with a small smile. He took a small step towards her. Testing how close she would let him get.

"I think it is some sort of disease." She answered with a smirk of her own. Brown eyes locked onto blue and Fred saw a look of hopeful surrender in those chocolate orbs. She was finally giving in to everything that she had been feeling since the very beginning.

"Do you think we should take you to St. Mungos?" He asked, as he took another step closer and brought his hand up to brush the hair back from her tear stained cheek.

"I think it's one of those things that not even magic can fix." She said breathlessly as her eyes fluttered closed at his touch.

"Any idea what will fix it?" Fred's lips were a mere centimeter away from hers.

"You."

Gently, skin met skin as Fred pressed his lips softly to Hermione's. A warmth spread throughout his body as Hermione stepped into him, bringing their bodies closer together. The kiss only lasted a moment but when Fred pulled away he was wanting for air. Hermione closed her eyes and dropped her head down so that it was resting on his chest. They stood like that until they lost track of time. Her hands wrapped tightly around his waist. One of his hands tangled in her hair, the other holding her securely to his body. Neither of them ever wanting to let go.


	9. Saints

**Saints**

**Rating**: K  
**Word Count**: 1073  
**Summary:** The end is in sight, but the end of what exactly?  
**Authors Note**: "Song and Dance" prompt by Jillie Bean on the HPFC forum: Choose a favorite album and write a fic around it. One chapter for each song on the album. At least one chapter must include a dance.

**7/18/11 – ATTENTION!** I know it's been two years since I've updated this, I am so, so sorry, and because of that I've decided to go through and rewrite each of these chapters. That way everything will flow together seamlessly rather than sounding like it was written in multiple points of the past 3 years.

* * *

**Album**: "Always Moving Never Stopping" by The City Drive  
**Song**: Saints*

"_Though you get me  
Like no one gets me  
All I need is a holiday  
From my vocation as a saint  
Hearts are beating fast;  
We're the same (in every way)  
That is why I can't come back again  
Don't forget me"_

_*I wish I could just use this entire song for this fic. If you get the chance, listen to it. It basically is Fred and Hermione in this story._

* * *

"So what do we do now?" A soft voice carefully broke the comfortable silence of the kitchen.

The clock on the kitchen wall softly ticked by the long minutes that Fred and Hermione had been standing there in their tight, silent, happy and terrified embrace. Neither could really believe what had just occurred. After everything that had happened, they were finally standing there, together.

"Well we could snog some more. I think that's a good option." Fred laughed quietly.

"Be serious." Hermione chuckled as well. She added a soft slap against his back for good measure.

"I was being serious." He replied as he pulled back and looked down at her small form in his arms. He put a finger underneath her chin and tilted her face up towards his. "I never want to stop kissing you, touching you, holding you. Not now that you are here with me." He leant forward to capture her lips once more with his.

"I'm not with you though." Hermione whispered as she stepped slowly out of his grasp. She turned and slowly walked to the table in the center of the room. She sat down, hung her head and ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. A small smile graced Fred's lips, for some reason that movement was one of his favorites. It was one of her _tells_. The way he always knew what she was feeling. Unfortunately, he also knew that this frustration was not a good sign and the smile left as quickly as it had begun. "I'm not with you Fred. The ring on my finger means I'm with him."

Fred let out a deep sigh as he looked at the broken woman in front of him. He too walked to the table at sat down across from her. His eyes sought hers as he tried to think of a way to comfort her. He had never been very good at being comforting. Making people laugh yes, but comforting them, not so much. Really the only person he made an effort to comfort was Hermione, and George, and every so often his mother, when he wasn't the one causing her the distress in the first place.

"Your books always held the answers for you in school. Have any books that will help us now? Maybe an _Affairs for Dummies_ type book?" He asked with a smirk.

Hermione looked up at him, her face cross, but when she saw his smirk she couldn't help but laugh softly.

"I've only ever seen those kinds of books in muggle shops. How do you know about them?" she questioned.

"Oh, well… um. George and I once went with Dad to a muggle bookshop when we were younger," Fred responded with a blush, "They had a whole section of them. We thought the _Sex for Dummies _one was pretty hilarious."

Hermione laughed as Fred's cheeks turned bright red at the memory. "Well, I wish there was a book that could help in this kind of situation. It would make what I have to do so much easier." Hermione sighed and couldn't disguise the look of despair that was creeping onto her face once more.

_'What she has to do?'_ Fred thought. For a moment fear gripped him. He couldn't bear having her turn her back on him now. She had already walked out of his life once, almost had again a few moments ago, he didn't think he could let her walk away again.

"What-What do you have to do? Hermione, please tell me you aren't ending this now when it has just begun. For years we have left our feelings locked up and forgotten. I don't think I can just try and forget them again. It hurts too much. I want to be with you. I want you. You get me, like no one gets me. You understand that I can be serious just as much as I can be that blasted prankster. Please, Hermione, I can't do this without you. I can't—"

Before his rambling could go on for any longer Hermione had stood up and bent over the table towards him capturing his lips with hers. She drew back and sat back down in her chair, a soft smile tugging at the edges of her lips.

"Now that you have finally shut up…" Hermione chuckled

"Yeah, sorry about that." Fred grinned sheepishly while feeling his heart return to a normal rate.

"Did you mean it all?"

Without hesitation Fred told her that he meant every single word. She was the world to him. His best friend. His dream. She was everything he wanted and needed.

Tears welled up in Hermione's eyes and threatened to spill over. Fred stood up and walked around the table to kneel next to Hermione's chair. He put a hand against the side of her head, cupping her cheek as Hermione placed her small fingers over his.

"I love you, Hermione." Fred said softly. "I love you, more than you could ever comprehend. I know that our lives have not turned out the way that either of us hoped. I know that what we are doing is wrong. But I don't care about being right anymore. I love you. And just knowing that you might have even the smallest bit of love for me in return gives me the hope that I need to believe that everything is going to be okay."

The seconds ticked by as Fred waited for any sort of response from Hermione. The tears were falling freely down her face now and he tried his best to wipe them softly away. Finally Hermione moved slowly out of her frozen position. She took his hands away from her cheeks and held them between her own. She lightly placed a kiss against his fingertips before looking once more up at him.

"You're wrong Fred." She said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "I don't have the smallest bit of love for you."

For a moment Fred thought that someone might actually hear the cracking of his heart as the air left him, he thought he might get sick, but that moment lasted only until he saw the mischievous light glow in Hermione's eyes. She slid off the edge of the chair until she too was kneeling on the kitchen floor.

"I love you, Fred Weasley, with all of my heart. I suppose I must love you. You can make me laugh when I should be crying. You make me _feel_ when I've been numb for so long. You brought me out of my shell and introduced me to a world I could never have imagined. Joke shops! Really, they are just so much fun!"

Fred laughed out loud as he listened to Hermione's speech. Here he was trying his best to be serious and she was the one making jokes. As they kneeled there smiling at one another Fred finally understood what Hermione meant when she said she knew what she had to do. He was terrified, mainly for his life when Ron found out, but he was hopeful. With Hermione in his life there was no way that he couldn't be hopeful.


	10. Over and Done

**Over and Done**

**Rating**: K+  
**Word Count**: 1042  
**Summary:** Sometimes goodbyes are hard, sometimes goodbyes are necessary, and sometimes goodbyes are just a new way to start over.  
**Authors Note**: "Song and Dance" prompt by Jillie Bean on the HPFC forum: Choose a favorite album and write a fic around it. One chapter for each song on the album. At least one chapter must include a dance.

**7/18/11 – ATTENTION!** I know it's been two years since I've updated this, I am so, so sorry, and because of that I've decided to go through and rewrite each of these chapters. That way everything will flow together seamlessly rather than sounding like it was written in multiple points of the past 3 years.

* * *

**Album**: "Always Moving Never Stopping" by The City Drive  
**Song**: Over and Done

_"Don't waste my time  
You're not the one  
It's over and done  
A couple of years  
Are gone overnight  
I noticed a difference  
It didn't seem right"_

* * *

"Fred…" Angelina started, her voice barely above a whisper "You're sure about this?"

"Yes." He said with as much determination he could muster. "I'm sorry Angie. I just- I can't keep lying to you."

He had finally done it. He had finally told Angelina that he wanted a divorce. He had known he wanted one for months. Ever since the night at Hermione's when they had finally admitted they had never given up on each other, they had never forgotten or moved on. He had wanted to go home that night and tell Angelina that it was over, but he couldn't. They had to time everything perfectly. They knew what they wanted but if they left Ron and Angelina at the same time there would be suspicions. The rumors and suspicions had already started, but they wanted to avoid them for as long as they could. To most of the outside world they were still seen as friends, close friends, and that was all. Just two friends that were both leaving their significant others. Hermione feared night and day what people were going to say. Fred couldn't care less as long as he was with Hermione. He knew that living up to peoples' expectations was very important to Hermione. It's what had gotten them here in the first place: Her refusal to let others down. But now he was slowly teaching her that she needed to live for herself, make her own decisions, make her own mistakes and let others think what they want.

Hermione had asked Ron for a divorce three months ago, only a week after the game-changing discussion in the kitchen. Ron had moved out, and moved on, quickly, making Hermione both angry and happy about her decision. She now had the flat to herself and often had Fred come close to spending the night wrapped around her. Hermione would never let him however. He may have been thrown out of his flat but neither he nor Angelina had moved to file for divorce. He had been living with George in the apartment above the shop and if he didn't come home at night, the rumors and suspicions would only multiply.

But now, after months had passed, Fred was seated across the dining room table from Angelina. His wife wasn't completely surprised by his words as he explained to her how he felt. She knew that he wasn't in love with her; that he never would be in love with her. And honestly, she told him with tears in her eyes, she didn't think she was in love with him either.

After a lot of talking, and surprisingly no yelling, the night came to an end. They hugged and Angelina kissed Fred on the cheek before pulling apart from him. She sat back down and took a drink of the coffee that had gone cold hours ago. As he had already been living with George for a few months there wasn't much around the flat that he needed to collect. A few books, a couple articles of clothing, a couple of experiments he had forgotten about in a back cupboard, all of it fit into a single bag.

When he had finished packing he walked back into the kitchen and stood in the doorway for a few moments. He watched as Angelina sat in silence at the kitchen table stirring her reheated coffee. She had stopped crying long ago, her cheeks were now dry, and he could even see a hint of a smile playing at her lips. Neither of them had wanted it to come to this in the beginning, but now they were both content. Neither had to live up to expectations that the other held high above their heads.

Fred knew that he could never be what Angelina needed or wanted. Sure she loved to joke around almost as much as he did, but she needed someone that could love her unconditionally. Someone that would continue to love her, even when she was following a Quidditch team halfway around the world for a story for the Prophet. Someone that could handle getting the cold shoulder from her during important games that she needed to watch. Fred knew he could be none of that.

And just as Fred could never be what Angelina needed, she could never be what he needed. What he needed was a bossy bookworm with wild hair. A woman that could challenge his intellect, and his stamina. He smirked at the memory of the last time he visited her flat. They had probably defiled every sturdy surface in the apartment and offended her cat, which had been sleeping soundly on the living room rug when they had fallen upon it.

"Angelina," Fred said softly, "I'm going now."

Angelina stood up and walked towards him. She placed her arms around his neck as he placed an arm around her waist. They stood like that for a moment, each conveying their feelings in a simple gesture.

"I was just thinking, it's kind of funny. A couple of years are gone overnight. In a matter of minutes everything is over." Angelina said as she stepped back from him.

"I know. I'm sorry Angelina. I am so—"

"It's ok. I think I always knew we wouldn't make it work. I am the eternal pessimist as you know." She smiled softly and held up a hand to stop him as he tried to interrupt and tell her she wasn't a pessimist. "Goodbye, Fred."

"Goodbye, Angie."

He walked out the door and down the steps, hearing the faint click of the door and lock as he went. He felt that it had all gone much better than he thought it would. He even thought that they might manage to stay friends. What was going to be hard was telling his parents. He didn't know how his mother was going to handle the news. First Ron and Hermione divorced, and now him and Angelina. At least Bill and Fleur were always the happy little family. Plus Harry and Ginny had been going to counseling and were working at their happily ever after again. No matter what drama was occurring, there would always be some happiness in the Weasley family.


	11. Runner

**Runner**

**Rating**: K+  
**Word Count**: 1755  
**Summary: **Hermione is done caring what others think. The only person's opinion that matters is his.  
**Authors Note**: "Song and Dance" prompt by Jillie Bean on the HPFC forum: Choose a favorite album and write a fic around it. One chapter for each song on the album. At least one chapter must include a dance.

**7/19/11 – ATTENTION!** I know it's been two years since I've updated this, I am so, so sorry, and because of that I've decided to go through and rewrite each of the previous chapters. That way everything will flow together seamlessly rather than sounding like it was written in multiple points of the past 3 years. :) I hope you like the few changes I've made to previous chapters!

* * *

**Album**: "Always Moving Never Stopping" by The City Drive  
**Song**: Runner

"_And when I dream  
__I only see us  
__Do you too?  
__Running back to you  
_…  
_You'll say  
__"Is it really you or am I dreaming?"  
__You're not dreaming  
__Meet me in the dreamworld tonight"_

* * *

Time is a funny thing. Technically it can't change, it can't slow down, it can't speed up, it can't stop, it can't end. Well, unless you've got a time-turner, but Hermione had sworn those off years ago. Still, people treat time like a resource. Something that can be used up. Something that will be gone some day. Something that we don't have enough of. Someday down the line we won't have any more time. Time is a funny thing, and Hermione had decided she wasn't going to waste one more minute of the time she had left.

It had been two and a half years since she had married Ron, six months since she divorced him, and three months since Fred and Angelina had signed for their own divorce. It had been two weeks since the last time Fred had come over for dinner at her flat. Hermione scowled when she remembered them having to cancel their plans last week because they were both so busy at work. Last weekend was when Hermione decided that she no longer cared what people thought. They could talk all they wanted, let their suspicions and rumors be heard by all. She couldn't even deny them if she tried, so what was the point?

Besides, Ron had moved on quickly enough. He had started dating an auror that Harry had introduced him to at a quidditch match just shortly after they had signed for the divorce. While neither Ron nor Hermione went out of their way to speak to one another, they were civil and were slowly working at rebuilding some semblance of a friendship that they had once had. Even Ron admitted that they were better off as friends than as spouses, it would just take time for them to remember _how_ to be friends again.

Angelina and Fred had faired better after their separation and subsequent divorce. They remained friends and had even caught up over lunch once every few weeks. Hermione chucked at the irony of it all. Catching up over lunch. Wasn't that what had gotten them into this mess in the first place?

If she was honest with herself, and that was something she was learning to do, she knew that wasn't what had gotten them into this mess. Fred repeatedly told her not to do it, but she couldn't help but blame herself. She had accepted him into her life and her heart and then turned him away. She had listened to her head in the end and ignored the pain she felt everywhere else. She had wondered, so many years ago, how many hearts she might break with the decision she made before walking down the aisle towards Ron. She had been including her own in that equation. But that was years behind her; it was time to move on.

Hermione smiled to herself as she arranged the silverware on the table and filled two long-stemmed glasses with champagne. Fred would be home soon and everything had to be perfect. She let her thoughts settle on that word for a while as she cleaned up the rest of the kitchen.

_Home._ _Fred would be home soon. _She let out a rush of laughter as the thought finally sunk in. _Fred was coming home soon and he didn't even know it._

She was done wasting time.

The clock above the stove read 5:55 and Fred was due to be over as soon as the shop closed on the hour. With one more glance around the kitchen to make sure the table was set and dinner was ready to be served she walked around her flat to make sure everything looked it's best. She knew that Fred didn't care if a book was on the table, or a dirty shirt was thrown in the corner (_"I threw it there on purpose" he'd say with a smirk and a wink)_, but she liked keeping the place clean. Especially when she had other company over. It wouldn't have gone over well if his shorts had been found in the hall, or a work-in-progress gizmo or gadget for the shop was found on the table in the corner of the living room.

'_Now-,' _Hermione thought,_ 'Now I won't have to worry about that anymore.'_

As the clock struck six o'clock she heard a rhythmic knock at the front door. She supposed she'd have to get him a key one of these days. Though if he was as smart as he claimed he was he probably could just use his wand to open the door. He never did think of that though. Barely containing the smile that seemed to spread from ear to ear she walked quickly to the front of the flat to let him in.

"You're right on – mmph…" Even before the door had been fully opened Fred had captured her lips with his and pushed her into the entrance hall. His fingers tangled in her hair as hers grabbed the front of his shirt. They stayed that way for a few moments, pressed up against the wall of the hallway before finally pulling apart to breathe. Fred moved just far enough away so that he could rest is forehead against hers.

"I missed you."

Hermione's smile was beaming as she ran her fingers over his neck and into his hair. She had wanted to wait until after dinner, or maybe during, to tell him her plan, but as she had come to realize, time is a resource, it does run out, and you have to take each moment for everything it is.

"If you want," She looked into his eyes, hoping he'd understand the meaning behind her words, "you never have to miss me again."

Fred's face scrunched in confusion as he processed what she had said. Hermione could see in his eyes the exact moment he figured out what she was implying, asking, telling him what she wanted. The smile that graced his face was nothing compared to the look in his eyes as he took her face between his hands and kissed her soundly.

"I'll take that as a yes?" Hermione laughed between the quick kisses that Fred began laying all over her lips, jaw, cheekbones, eyelids, forehead, nose, anywhere he could reach.

"Yes."

Later, Hermione would throw a pillow at his head for making her forget all about the dinner she had made. She would throw a shoe for making the champagne get warm. She would attempt to throw the other just as Fred's hand grasped her wrist and brought her back down into her bed with him. _Their _bed with him.

Even later, Fred would complain that he was hungry and Hermione would push him off the bed, onto the floor and tell him to go make himself something. Still laughing he would come back to bed with two reheated plates of her lasagna and two tall glasses of freshly chilled champagne. She'd tell him she never ate in bed. He'd tell her that she better get used to it because tomorrow he was making pancakes for breakfast. Pancakes with sprinkles. Which, he would claim, were only ever allowed to be eaten in bed, when they were both naked and famished for something other than each other. Hermione would attempt not to hit him with a pillow again.

.

* * *

.

In the morning Hermione awoke to gentle fingers running through her hair, softly combing out the knots that had developed throughout the night. Part of her wanted to move so that she could look up at the man whose chest she was currently using as a pillow. The other part of her never wanted to move a muscle again, lest she realize this was all just another figment of her imagination; she had grown quite used to them over the past four years. When the body beneath her head rose and fell with a yawn however she finally picked her head up and placed it on the pillow next to his.

His red hair was sticking up at strange angles and his eyes were still glossed over with sleep. He attempted to smile but his eyes began to shut once more. She thought he was the most wonderful thing she had ever woken up to.

"Is it really you?" Hermione broke the silence in wonderment a few minutes later. "Or am I just dreaming?"

"This can't possibly be a dream." Fred answered softly before finally opening his eyes once more, this time much more awake than he had been previously. "If this were a dream you would kiss me, put on my shirt and go to the kitchen to make me breakfast."

"I don't think I like that dream. I think I like the dream where you kiss me, put on _my _shirt and got to the kitchen to make me breakfast."

"You know," he replied, placing a finger against his chin in mock-thought, "I think I may like that dream, too." He leaned over and kissed her before hoping out of bed and began digging through the clothes that had been shed the night before. After pulling on his boxers he continued to move about the room in search of another lost article of clothing.

"Fred… Fred I was joking… don't you dare!" Hermione couldn't help laughing as she watched him pulling her tank top over his head. "Fred! You are going to stretch out my shirt!"

"Weren't you wearing something else over this? A little button-up jumper type thing?" He wondered to himself as he continued digging through clothes. "Where did that go? Oh right, I think it landed on the cat…"

He walked out of the room wearing nothing but his boxers and her tank top before coming back a few moments later shrugging in defeat. "He must have run off with it somewhere. Anyway… breakfast! I'll make pancakes! Do you like sprinkles in your pancakes? I'll put sprinkles in the pancakes."

Hermione fell back onto the pillows, a smile lighting up her face as she ran a hand through her hair. She must have had a moment of insanity. What had she been thinking? She had been thinking she was in love and that he loved her and that shouldn't two people who love each other also live with each other? She chuckled as she heard pots and pans crashing in the kitchen.

'_Live with each other? We'll be lucky if we don't kill each other. Oh… He so better not have been serious about those sprinkles…'_

"FRED!"


End file.
